Southwood Middle School
Encyclopedia
Southwood Middle School Center for the Arts, more commonly known as Southwood Middle School, is a public secondary school located on 16301 Southwest 80th Avenue in Palmetto Bay, Florida
. The principal is Ms. Deborah Leal. Southwood has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
.
The mascot for the school is the SuperStar, a cartoonish star who wears a top hat and carries a cane. This image appears on the outside of the main building.
of Cutler
until the incorporation of Palmetto Bay on September 10, 2002.
were released in memory of Gough.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Southwood contains five magnet programs, for which students must audition and be accepted in order to take: Music (which contains the orchestra, band, and chorus strands), Photography, Theatre, Art, and Dance. Southwood takes in non-magnet students too, who live within the designated area, but those students take regular electives instead of magnet classes. Magnet students do not have to live within this district in order to attend.
Palmetto Bay, Florida
Palmetto Bay is a Miami suburban incorporated village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,469 at the 2000 census.Palmetto Bay includes two census-designated places defined in the 2000 census, Cutler and East Perrine.-History:...
. The principal is Ms. Deborah Leal. Southwood has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
.
The mascot for the school is the SuperStar, a cartoonish star who wears a top hat and carries a cane. This image appears on the outside of the main building.
History
The school was formerly located in the census-designated placeCensus-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
of Cutler
Cutler, Florida
Cutler was a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida at the time of the 2000 census. It has since been incorporated into the Village of Palmetto Bay...
until the incorporation of Palmetto Bay on September 10, 2002.
Stabbing incident
Southwood received national attention when, on February 3, 2004, eighth-grader Jaime Rodrigo Gough was stabbed to death in a second-floor bathroom by fellow classmate Michael Hernandez. Southwood celebrates "Peace Week" during the first week of February as a memorial for Gough, and to spread messages of tolerance and diversity. During the 2005 Peace Week ceremony, monarch butterfliesMonarch butterfly
The Monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly , in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer...
were released in memory of Gough.
Academics
During the 1984-85 school year, Southwood Jr. High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
Southwood contains five magnet programs, for which students must audition and be accepted in order to take: Music (which contains the orchestra, band, and chorus strands), Photography, Theatre, Art, and Dance. Southwood takes in non-magnet students too, who live within the designated area, but those students take regular electives instead of magnet classes. Magnet students do not have to live within this district in order to attend.
Notable alumni
- Nadia TurnerNadia TurnerNadia Turner Nadia Turner Nadia Turner (born January 11, 1977 is an American singer, songwriter, actress and radio/television personality, best known as the 8th place finalist on the fourth season of American Idol.-Before Idol:...
, finalist on the 4th season of American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. - Brandon Bryant, runner-up on the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance.
- Christy TurlingtonChristy TurlingtonChristy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
, model best known for representing Calvin KleinCalvin KleinCalvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
from 1987 to 2007 - Alex LacamoireAlex LacamoireAlex Lacamoire is an American music director and orchestrator, who has worked on many shows both on and off Broadway.Lacamoire was born in Los Angeles, California, and began to play piano at age three. He and his family moved to Miami, Florida when he was 9...
, Tony award winning music director and conductor, whose credits include music director of both WickedWickedWicked is generally used as an adjective to mean evil or sinful.Wicked may also refer to:* Wicked Pictures, an American pornographic studio...
and In the HeightsIn the HeightsIn the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
.